This thesis describes the directing of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw for the 1976 North Texas State University Summer Repertory Theatre Company. Chapter I examines the problem of play choice and provides an analysis of the play selected. Chapter II describes the production situation at North Texas, the preparation of the playscript, the casting and staffing decisions, the technical direction, the rehearsal process, and the front of house activities. Chapter III is the production book itself, it includes the playscript, the blocking, and the light and sound cues. Chapter IV summarizes the project and offers recommendations as a guide to future graduate directors.

The Ballad of Sam Bass is an original. play based on the life of Sam Bass the outlaw. Cowboys camped on the Chisholm trail are entertained by a stranger who sings a song about Sam Bass. Bass was a good-hearted individual who was seduced by his vices, drinking and gambling, and fell into the life of an outlaw. He was successful in eluding the law until he was betrayed by one of his own men, Jim Murphy. In the course of his song, the stranger reveals himself to be Frank Jackson, the only surviving member of Bass's gang. Jackson had talked Bass out of killing Murphy when Bass became suspicious. Creating the song serves as a catharsis for Jackson's guilt.

This thesis is a play for children. The story and the characters were derived from traditional Norwegian fairy tales. The central character is Billikin Whiskers, a billy-goat, who is captured by three trolls--Sparky, Garr and Pragg. The play is set on a mountain in Norway. The central idea of the play is the issue of intelligence--represented by Billikin Whiskers--versus physical strength--symbolized by the trolls.

The purpose of this play is to dramatize the charismatic powers of an evangelist, Brother R.T. Bumpass, over his family and his followers. Faced with a challenge from his daughter, Martie, Brother Bumpass manages through a questionable miracle to prove to her that his way offers the only hope and salvation for her life.

This thesis presents the results of a study of printed material concerning the use of a foreign language-English dialect for the stage, gathering its information from printed sources, old and new, that are available to help the director of a dialect play.

The purpose of this project was to create an original production scheme which will prove acceptable to the American audience. The production of Don Pasquale adhered to the following guidelines: (1) the production was adapted in terms of the American audience for which it was being performed, it was sung in English and all allusions to the opera's European origin were either omitted or altered to conform to the American stylization, (2) the adaptation of the opera centered around an American historical perspective, a point in American history with which the audience could nostalgically identify.

This paper will point out the reasons for the great popular success of Katharine Cornell as an actress. This paper will examine the background of Miss Cornell to determine the influences that helped shape her career, and the theatre training that brought her to her first Broadway "hit." Special attention will be given to Miss Cornell's philosophy of acting as she expressed it in her autobiography and in interviews. Further, this paper will take each role played by Miss Cornell during her career and through the reviews of the dramatic critics determine the artistic merit of each role. Finally, the roles selected to be of artistic merit will again be subjected to the reviews of the drama critics to determine whether or not Miss Cornell achieved artistic excellence in her portrayal of them.

The Fairy Star; or Boucicault's Revenge is based on an incident which occurred in the relationship between actress Agnes Kelly Robertson and her common-law spouse, the actor and dramatist Dion Boucicault. The action of the play takes place late in the afternoon of September 3, 1875, in the parlor of Robertson's home, Langham Place. The dramatic conflict revolves around their meeting for the first time after a two-year separation, during which time Boucicault had forced Robertson to virtually retire from the stage and remain at home with their six children. When Robertson learns that Boucicault desperately needs her to star in his latest theatrical production, she sets out to win back her place as the star of both his life and his plays.

The epochal musical Hair is based predominantly on the actions and reactions to the cultural and societal occurrences of the Sixties. So, what can be done to help in the understanding of this historic musical? The answer: to produce an annotated text of the musical that will offer support to director and cast. The study consists of four chapters; the first, an introduction to the study; the second, a historical review (1960-1970); the third, the annotations which seeks to identify and explain all unfamiliar or unusual words, cultural obscurities, or personalities that might confuse, or otherwise mislead a full and comprehensive understanding of the author's original concept; and fourth, the worldwide performances of Hair and revivals after the original Broadway production.

This thesis explains the concept and history of "new stagecraft" and investigates certain presentational plays of Eugene O'Neill, including those which are expressionistic and those which are a combination of expressionism, symbolism, and naturalism. In particular, the investigation will be so arranged as to view the technical problems which result from the suggestions O'Neill makes in his plays.

The purpose of this thesis is to design the sets and costumes for William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will adapting to the sixteenth century Italian commedia dell' arte style.

This study analyzed the personalities and actions of Regina, Birdie, Alexandra, and Lavinia from Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and Another Part of the Forest. The analysis was focused on the relationship between the life and personality of Lillian Hellman and each of the characters. The method of character analysis that was used was that described by David Grote in Script Analysis, but the effect of cultural history on the characters and on Lillian Hellman was examined as well. It was discovered that Lillian Hellman had infused the characters with many aspects her own personality. In the case of Regina and Lavinia, Hellman also used the characterizations to sort out her mixed feelings toward her parents.